Insulated Supports

ABSTRACT

Insulated supports are provided. In this regard, representative insulated support includes: a framing member having opposing faces and opposing sidewalls extending between the faces, the framing member further having a cutout positioned along a length thereof; and an insulated plug sized and shaped to be received within the cutout such that the insulated plug, when inserted into the cutout, increases an insulation (R) value of the support.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

This disclosure generally relates to building construction.

2. Description of the Related Art

Demand for electricity and other sources of energy continues to put anemphasis on the need for energy efficiency. This is particularly so inthe case of building construction design. In this regard, tremendousstrides have been made toward energy efficiency of structures. By way ofexample, heat loss from insulated wall cavities has been reduced.However, some of this reduction in loss has resulted in somewhat weakerstructures, such as those in which increased stud spacing of a wall isused in order to increase the availability for insulation placement.This can also have an impact on the interior of the wall, such as byreducing locations for attaching drywall, for example.

SUMMARY

Insulated supports are provided. In this regard, an exemplary embodimentof an insulated support comprises: a framing member formed of a lengthof dimensional lumber, the framing member having opposing faces andopposing sidewalls extending between the faces, the framing memberfurther having cutouts positioned along a length thereof; and insulatedplugs sized and shaped to be received within the cutouts such that theinsulated plug, when inserted into the cutouts, increase an insulation(R) value of the support.

Another embodiment of an insulated support comprises: a framing memberhaving opposing faces and opposing sidewalls extending between thefaces, the framing member further having a cutout positioned along alength thereof; and an insulated plug sized and shaped to be receivedwithin the cutout such that the insulated plug, when inserted into thecutout, increases an insulation (R) value of the support.

Other systems, methods, features and/or advantages of this disclosurewill be or may become apparent to one with skill in the art uponexamination of the following drawings and detailed description. It isintended that all such additional systems, methods, features and/oradvantages be included within this description and be within the scopeof the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the disclosure can be better understood with referenceto the following drawings. The components in the drawings are notnecessarily to scale. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numeralsdesignate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an embodiment of an insulated support.

FIG. 2 is a partially cut-away, schematic view another embodiment of aninsulated support.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional, schematic view of the embodiment of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a partially cut-away, schematic view another embodiment of aninsulated support.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional, schematic view of another embodiment of aninsulated support.

FIG. 6 is a partially cut-away, schematic view another embodiment of aninsulated support.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional, schematic view of the embodiment of FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Insulated supports are provided. In this regard, several exemplaryembodiments will be described that generally involve framing members. Insome embodiments, a framing member is formed of dimensional lumber thatincorporates one or more cutouts. Plugs of insulation are positionedwithin the cutouts. As such, a support with decreased weight andincreased insulation properties compared to conventional timber framingis provided. Notably, at least some of these supports are capable ofbeing worked by conventional construction tools.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram depictingan exemplary embodiment of a support. As shown in FIG. 1, support 100includes a framing member 102. In this embodiment, the framing member isformed of a length of 2″×6″ dimensional lumber although various otherdimensions and/or materials can be used in other embodiments. Framingmember 102 includes opposing faces 106, 108, with sidewalls 110, 112extending between the faces, and endwalls 114, 116 extending between thesidewalls and faces.

A series of cutouts, e.g., cutout 104, are located along the length ofthe framing member. The cutouts extend between the faces and, in thisembodiment, are generally rectangular and are located along the framingmember such that spacing between adjacent cutouts is generally uniform,while spacing between an end of the framing member and an adjacentcutout is generally longer. Providing this additional material of theframing member at the ends enables the framing member to be trimmedwithout necessarily affecting the cutouts and provides an increased areafor attachment of fasteners while reducing a likelihood of splitting theframing member. In other embodiments, various other sizes, shapes,locations and numbers of cutouts can be used. Notably, the cutoutsreduce the overall weight of the support and, thus, transportation costsassociated with shipping the supports can be lower than that associatedwith shipping conventional supports formed of similar materials.

Insulation plugs, e.g., plug 120, are positioned at least partiallywithin each of the cutouts. The plugs can be formed of variousmaterials, such as an insulating foam that is typically used as buildinginsulation, e.g., polyurethane foam. The plugs increase the insulationvalue (i.e., R value) of the support.

FIGS. 2 and 3 schematically depict another exemplary embodiment of asupport. As shown in FIG. 2, support 200 includes a framing member 202,a portion of which is presented. Framing member 202 includes opposingfaces 206, 208, with sidewalls 210, 212 extending between the faces, andendwalls (one of which is shown) extending between the sidewalls andfaces.

A series of cutouts, e.g., cutout 204, are located along the length ofthe framing member. As shown in FIG. 3, the cutouts extend between thefaces. In this embodiment, the cutouts are generally rectangular, withthe inner walls 218 of the framing member that define the cutouts beinggenerally perpendicular to the faces. However, various otherconfigurations can be used. Note that the cutouts also are evenly spacedalong the length of the framing member, with the length of materialbetween the endwall 214 and cutout 204 being longer than the length ofmaterial between cutout 204 and an adjacent cutout 216. In otherembodiments, various other spacing could be used.

Insulation plugs, e.g., plug 220, are positioned at least partiallywithin each of the cutouts. As shown in FIG. 3, the plug has opposingfaces 222, 224, with sidewalls (e.g., 226) that contact the inner wallsof the cutouts. Notably, in this embodiment, the sidewall 226 isgenerally perpendicular to the faces 222, 224 of the plug.

Another embodiment of a support is depicted schematically in FIG. 4. Asshown in FIG. 4, support 400 includes a framing member 402 thatincorporates a set of cutouts (e.g., cutout 404) into which plugs (e.g.,plug 406) are placed. In contrast to the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1,this embodiment additionally incorporates cleat plates, e.g., plate 408,that reinforce the framing member adjacent to the cutout locations.

FIG. 5 schematically depicts another embodiment of a support. Inparticular, FIG. 5 is a cut-away depicting an alternative configurationof a cutout and plug arrangement. As shown in FIG. 5, support 500includes a framing member 502 that incorporates one or more cutouts,e.g., cutout 504. Cutout 504 is defined by contoured inner walls, e.g.,inner wall 506, of the framing member. Thus, at least one of the innerwalls is not generally perpendicular to the face of the framing member.

An insulation plug is positioned at least partially within each of thecutouts. For instance, a plug 508 is positioned within the cutout 504.The sidewalls, e.g., sidewall 510, defining a periphery of the plug aregenerally complementary to the inner walls of the cutout. Specifically,in this embodiment, the sidewalls of the plug are concave and the innerwalls of the cutout are convex. When inserted into the cutout, the plugtends to stay in position within the cutout due to an interference fitformed between the inner walls of the framing member and the sidewallsof the plug. In other embodiments, various other shapes of complementaryfeatures can be used. Note, however, that the shapes used in theembodiment of FIG. 5 provide an increased thickness of the framingmember in a vicinity of the cutout into which fasteners can penetrate.

Another embodiment of a support is depicted schematically in FIGS. 6 and7. As shown in FIG. 6, support 600 includes a framing member 602 thatincorporates cutouts 604, 606. Notably, each of the cutouts of thisembodiment is configured as a recess, in contrast to a through-cut asdepicted in the previous embodiments. Specifically, as can be seen inFIG. 7, cutout 604 is located in face 608 and cutout 606 is located inface 610. In this embodiment, the recesses oppose each other and aresymmetric although various other numbers, locations and configurationsof recesses can be used in other embodiments.

Each cutout mounts an insulation plug. In particular, cutout 604 mountsa plug 612 and cutout 606 mounts a plug 614. Notably, a span 620 ofmaterial separates the plugs and provides a structural web for improvingbending strength of the framing member.

In some embodiments, various portions of the framing member, such as thespan 620, can be configured as separate pieces that are joined as anassembly. In this regard, various joinery techniques, such as mortiseand tendon, dove tailing and/or butt joining, can be used. Notably, whenseparate pieces are used, various materials and/or grades of materialscan be used, such as oriented strand board (OSB) and plywood, forexample. Additionally, cleat plates can be used, in some embodiments,for reinforcement and/or as an attachment technique for joiningconstituent components that are used to form various portions of theframing member.

Reinforcement of a support can be accomplished in various manners ifdesired. By way of example, a sheet of material can be fixed to one ormore faces of a support. In some embodiments, such a sheet can be formedof wood, e.g., plywood or OSB, or sheet metal.

Support 600 also incorporates a through-hole 622 that is sized andshaped to accommodate a utility run, such as a cable run. In thisembodiment, the through-hole is formed through the two plugs 612, 614,as well as through the material 620. In other embodiments, however,various other locations could be used for one or more through-holes.

It should be noted that the through-hole of FIG. 6 is lined. In thisregard, a section of tubing 624, such as electrical grade PVC tubing isused. In other embodiments, other materials can be used to line and/ordefine a through-hole. By way of example, a corrugated material (e.g.,flexible electrical conduit) can be used. Notably, the corrugations ofsuch a material can be compressed toward each other after insertion intothe through-hole, thereby tending to secure the lining in place. Thisfeature can also enhance mechanical retention of the plug within thecutout. In other embodiments, a through-hole can be unlined.

It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments are merelypossible examples of implementations set forth for a clear understandingof the principles of this disclosure. Many variations and modificationsmay be made to the above-described embodiments without departingsubstantially from the spirit and principles of the disclosure. By wayof example, spacing of cutouts between each other and/or from theperiphery of a framing member can be selected based on one or more ofstrength of the support and insulation value. All such modifications andvariations are intended to be included herein within the scope of thisdisclosure and protected by the accompanying claims.

1. An insulated support comprising: a framing member having opposingfaces and opposing sidewalls extending between the faces, the framingmember further having a cutout positioned along a length thereof; and aninsulated plug sized and shaped to be received within the cutout suchthat the insulated plug, when inserted into the cutout, increases aninsulation (R) value of the support.
 2. The support of claim 1, whereinthe framing member is a length of dimensional lumber.
 3. The support ofclaim 2, wherein the framing member is a length of 2″×6″ timber framing.4. The support of claim 1, wherein the cutout extends between theopposing faces.
 5. The support of claim 4, wherein: the cutout isdefined by inner walls of the framing member; and at least one of theinner walls is contoured to form an interference fit with acorresponding sidewall of the plug.
 6. The support of claim 5, whereinthe at least one of the inner walls exhibits a convex shape and thecorresponding sidewall of the plug exhibits a concave shape.
 7. Thesupport of claim 1, further comprising means for reinforcing the framingmember adjacent to the cutout.
 8. The support of claim 7, wherein themeans for reinforcing comprises a cleat plate attached to the framingmember.
 9. The support of claim 1, wherein the cutout is a recess formedin a first of the faces.
 10. The support of claim 9, wherein: the cutoutis a first cutout; and the framing member has a second cutout formed ina second of the faces, the second cutout being a recess.
 11. The supportof claim 10, wherein: the first cutout and the second cutout aresymmetric; and the support further comprises a second insulation plugsized and shaped to be received within the second cutout.
 12. Thesupport of claim 1, wherein the insulated plug is a molded plug that ismolded in place within the cutout.
 13. An insulated support comprising:a framing member formed of a length of dimensional lumber, the framingmember having opposing faces and opposing sidewalls extending betweenthe faces, the framing member further having cutouts positioned along alength thereof; and insulated plugs sized and shaped to be receivedwithin the cutouts such that the insulated plug, when inserted into thecutouts, increase an insulation (R) value of the support.
 14. Thesupport of claim 13, wherein each of the cutouts receives acorresponding one of the insulation plugs.
 15. The support of claim 13,further comprising a through-hole extending between the faces, thethrough-hole being sized and shaped to accommodate a utility run. 16.The support of claim 15, wherein the through-hole is a linedthrough-hole.
 17. The support of claim 16, wherein: the support furthercomprises a segment of corrugated electrical conduit; and thethrough-hole is lined with the segment of corrugated electrical conduit.18. The support of claim 15, wherein the through-hole passes through atleast one of the plugs.
 19. The support of claim 13, wherein a spacebetween adjacent cutouts is shorter than a space between an endwall ofthe framing member and an adjacent one of the cutouts.
 20. The supportof claim 13, wherein at least one of the cutouts is a recess formed in afirst of the faces.